Definitions for theine

caffeine, especially in tea.

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Citations for theine

What we were drinking, so dark and aromatic, was a mixture of his: leaves of the Li-Cungo, those tiny ones that give an intense color and contain a high percentage of theine, mixed with some quality Niassa, very light and fragrant.Antonio Tabucchi, "Theatre," Letter from Casablanca, translated by Janice M. Thresher, 1986

... learn how to steep correctly; never boil tea; use a china or earthenware teapot; throw away the leaves after steeping, and never steep over eight minutes; after that time the theine or stimulating quality disappears and tannin predominates., Letter to the Editor: "Green Teas and Black Teas," New York Times, August 13, 1908

Origin of theine

1830-1840

Theine comes from New Latin the(a) “tea” and -ine, a noun suffix used particularly in chemical terms (bromine; chlorine), and especially in names of basic substances (amine; caffeine). It entered English in the 1830s.